Sometimes, it's polite to boo.

From the AP wrap-up of the wild White Sox-Yankees game:

"Making his last start before turning 45, the Rocket pitched a perfect first inning before the White Sox got to him with a series of singles and doubles that eluded fielders. When Torre replaced him with left-hander Mike Myers, the fans at Yankee Stadium booed loudly, but the boos faded to polite applause by the time Clemens trudged to the dugout."

Loud boos, becoming sortapplause. That's not polite. That's pussy.

(portland sea dogs game thirty nine: malleable as clay.)

Forget about what the big leaguers did, especially since we all know, as the New York Post's George King told us, this was just a matter of good triumphing over evil...

"Before the Angels arrive Friday night, Andy Pettite will face Curt Schilling tonight in a battle of Good (Pettite) versus Evil (Schilling) in a game that has to be labeled a 'must win' for the Yankees..."

W, wait, what?? Annoyingly overloquacious (a hyperverbalist's way of saying "talks too much"), maybe, but evil? Even in the Post, out-and-out "evil" is usually reserved for Saddam, Osama, Hillary Clinton, or gay people. This was a matchup of Jesus v. Jesus. Obviously, Jesus loves Andy Pettite more because Pettite has more championships, just as God loves the Yankees as evidenced by the championships. That does not make Curt Schilling, the Boston Red Sox, or their fans evil, however. (Author excluded.)

Back to the Boston-New York game that mattered last night...Portland v. Trenton. That Clemens guy was pitching, but this younger kid pitched better.

“I would have more confidence in this kid (Buchholz) starting a major league game tomorrow than the other guy (Clemens),” said one American League scout in attendance for Clemens’ second minor league tune-up for the New York Yankees, a start for the Double-A Thunder in their 4-3, 10-inning loss to the Portland Sea Dogs. “We need one game to win the division and you’re giving me a choice between starting (Buchholz) or Clemens, I’m taking (Buchholz) off of what I saw tonight.”

Yeah, seriously, Clay Buchholz is that good.



One can withhold judgment on Clemens until he's in the majors: I choose not to do so in full, noting that his fastball is struggling to break 90, and when it comes to pitching with lesser stuff, Clemens isn't exactly latter-day Pedro Martinez, let alone Keith Foulke. The rest of the Herald article I pulled the scout's quote from is telling. The old gray mare, she ain't what she used to be. (Ain't what she used to be.) (Ain't what she used to be.)

Nine and a half rounds up to ten, by the way. As expected, Curt isn't happy about yesterday either. "Craptastic," indeed.

The other side of the Clemens signing, acknowledged.

A comment yesterday encouraged me to look beyond "rational" baseball thought, a confusing comment insomuch as I've never attempted true rationality with this blog: it might be fun for some Yankee fan readers who can look past my "partisan" insanity and frequently inane predictions, but I doubt there are many who can.

Anyway, the Clemens signing to the Yankees has, yes, another side. It's the Clemens Bob Ryan talks about here that's the one causing some fans to shed tears onto their 1986 AL Champions pennant. Like I said, I missed that guy's career, but I understand. Unfortunately, I remember the guy who played the Sox and the Yankees to sign for more money with the Blue Jays, a pure money move (chance to win a championship my ass), much more strongly. Sorry.

(By the way...god-DAMN has Clemens been in the league for a long time. Breakin' was in theaters when he debuted? AND Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo came out in 1984 as well? Now THAT's a quickie sequel.)

GAMES TWENTY EIGHT- THIRTY: Return Of The Soldier Of Fortune

There's no real point in talking about weekend baseball, even if the Minnesota series featured three excellent starts. (Julian Tavarez has faced nothing but #1 starters and kept the Red Sox competitive all the same; if the lineup had been able to finish the deal on Johan Santana [a mere 5.0 IP] during one of his many times in trouble, this might have been a sweep.) All anyone wants to talk about is Roger Clemens. So let's talk about Roger Clemens.

I became a Red Sox fan in the summer of 1993, when Boston became Mo-Town, the Sox made an unlikely run at the AL East pennant, and Roger Clemens had another mediocre season, especially by his standards. I was too late to the game to watch the Rocket dominate. I thought Roger Clemens' MVP Baseball sucked. Roger Clemens means less to me than he does to most Sox fans.

I think Roger had a great opportunity to patch things up with Boston before going into the Hall of Fame wearing a B. (Do you really expect a Yankees cap on his plaque because he coat-tailed his way into a couple rings?) I also think he had a chance at another World Series ring, although I respect his pride. And capitalism.

I think he wanted to matter, and I respect that. The Sox greeted not getting Roger with indifference, and rightfully so. We've got our fifth starter waiting, and he's a future ace instead of a twilight ace.

I think when Brian Cashman gives a 45-year-old starter $28 million (prorated), the "younger, cheaper" Yankee strategy is out the window. I like the little implied "fuck you" to making him higher paid than A-Rod and thus the highest paid player in the league by a mil.



I think Roger Clemens is a mercenary. I think Bill Simmons had it right, back when he used to matter, and try. Some of his don't give a fuck attitude is a positive. Not so much to Boston.

I think my Sox fan friends ready to slit their wrists and my Yankee fan friends declaring their team back in the game both need to chill.

I don't think I'll miss it so much when Roger Clemens is out of the league.